After BSP, RLD Decides To Support SP Candidates In UP Bypolls

Uttar Pradesh: A day after the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) extended its support to the Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates for the Lok Sabha polls to Phoolpur and Gorakhpur seats, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) also on Monday announced its support to the SP nominees. The Ajit Singh-led RLD, while announcing this here, said it will also support the SP and BSP candidates in the soon-to-be-held Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha elections. Though the RLD has a lone legislator in the present Vidhan Sabha in Uttar Pradesh, the announcement to support the SP candidate is being seen in political quarters as further cementing of the opposition forces against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Once part of the Congress government at the Centre, RLD has through this move also indicated that it is uninterested in relations with its one-time ally. The Lok Sabha bypolls in Phoolpur in Allahabad and Gorakhpur are being seen as high stakes electoral outing for the ruling BJP as the seats were held by deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The BSP in a surprise move on Sunday buried its 25-year-old hatchet with arch-rivals SP and announced that it would support the SP candidates to "defeat the BJP". BSP supremo Mayawati was, however, quick to clarify that the support should not be construed as an alliance for the future. She said her sole objective was to defeat the BJP and hence she was supporting the most probable candidate -- that was from the SP. The BSP, as part of its principled stand, does not contest bypolls. The Congress is contesting in both the places on its own.